Vending machines having cash containers for receiving cash are used in a wide range of variants. A user can acquire a large number of goods and/or services from such vending machines against payment of cash. The vending machine receives the money, in particular coins, checks its value and validity and supplies cash that is deemed to be valid to the cash container. Vending machines of this kind are also known for example for the sale of travel tickets for public means of passenger transport or for parking tickets for car parks or public parking spaces.
Parking ticket vending machines are known from the user manual SITRAFFIC SITY 5/Prisma, edition A004/2001-03-15, published by Siemens AG, which comprises a columnar vending machine housing with a rectangular or triangular cross-section. Arranged in the upper part of the vending machine housing are an engineering box with control unit, coin-acceptor unit, printer, battery, optional GSM modem with antenna or radio clock, and a user interface with coin insertion slot, display, card reader, tariff information and a collection tray for parking tickets and change. In the lower part of the vending machine housing there is accommodated a cash box compartment with a separate locking system in which a cash box for receiving cash is inserted, the cash box comprising an inlet opening at its upper side which can be closed by a cover. Cash inserted into the parking ticket vending machine, whose validity has been established by the coin-acceptor unit, drops through a coin chute and the inlet opening into the cash box.
The known cash box comprises a locking mechanism which automatically locks the cash box as soon as it is removed from the parking ticket vending machine. For this purpose the locking mechanism must be activated by manual actuation of a tension lever arranged inside the cash box, however, before the cash box is inserted in the parking ticket vending machine. To empty the cashbox it must firstly be unlocked from the cash box compartment with a first cash box key in order to then be able to be removed with the aid of a pivotal handle at the front of the cash box. The cash box is then transported to a central emptying location, for instance a bank, where authorized emptying personnel open the front of the cash box with the aid of a second cash box key in order to empty the contents of the cash box. Said tension lever is then pulled forwards in order to tension the cash box locking mechanism again. Once the front door has been locked again using the second cash box key the cash box can be transported back to the parking ticket vending machine in order to be inserted into the cash box compartment again and be locked using the first cash box key.
The known locking mechanism prevents insertion of an emptied cash box in the cash box compartment however, if the tension lever has not been pulled forwards, i.e. the locking mechanism has not been activated. In this case the emptied box has to be brought back to the bank where the cash box has to be opened with the aid of the second cash box key in order to tension or activate the locking mechanism.